the origins of contemporary france-4-第95章

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out　of　their　stalls；　grab　sheep　and　chickens；　burn　the　barns；　and　sell

their　booty　to　speculators。〃＇158＇　　〃Bacon；　eggs；　butter　and　chickens　…

the　peasants　surrender　whatever　is　demanded　of　them；　and　thenceforth

have　nothing　that　they　can　take　to　market。　　They　curse　the　Republic

which　has　brought　war　and　famine　on　them；　and　nevertheless　they　do

what　they　are　told：　on　being　addressed；　'Citizen　peasant；　I　require　of

you　on　peril　of　your　head；'　。　　。　　。　　it　is　not　possible　to

refuse。〃＇159＇　…　Accordingly；　they　are　only　too　glad　to　be　let　off　so

cheaply。　　On　Brumaire　19；　about　seven　o'clock　in　the　evening；　at

Tigery；　near　Corbeil；　twenty…five　men　〃with　sabers　and　pistols　in

their　belts；　most　of　them　in　the　uniform　of　the　National　Guards　and

calling　themselves　the　revolutionary　army；〃　enter　the　house　of　Gibbon；

an　old　ploughman；　seventy…one　years　of　age；　while　fifty　others　guard

all　egress　from　it；　so　that　the　expedition　may　not　be　interfered　with。

Turlot；　captain；　and　aid…de…camp　to　General　Henriot；　wants　to　know

where　the　master　of　the　house　is。　　…　〃In　his　bed；〃　is　the　reply。　　…

〃Wake　him　up。〃　…　The　old　man　rises。　　…　Give　up　your　arms。〃　…　His　wife

hands　over　a　fowling…piece；　the　only　arm　on　the　premises。　　The　band

immediately　falls　on　the　poor　man；　〃strikes　him　down；　ties　his　hands；

and　puts　a　sack　over　his　head；〃　and　the　same　thing　is　done　to　his　wife

and　to　eight　male　and　two　female　servants。　　〃Now；　give　us　the　keys　of

your　closets；〃　they　want　to　be　sure　that　there　are　no　fleur…de…lys　or

other　illegal　articles。　　They　search　the　old　man's　pockets；　take　his

keys；　and；　to　dispatch　business；　break　into　the　chests　and　seize　or

carry　off　all　the　plate；　〃twenty…six　table…dishes；　three　soup…ladles；

three　goblets；　two　snuff…boxes；　forty　counters；　two　watches；　another

gold　watch　and　a　gold　cross。〃　〃We　will　draw　up　a　procès…verbal　of　all

this　at　our　leisure　in　Meaux。　　Now；　where's　your　silver？　If　you　don't

say　where　it　is；　the　guillotine　is　outside　and　I　will　be　your

executioner。〃　The　old　man　yields　and　merely　requests　to　be　untied。

But　it　is　better　to　keep　him　bound；　〃so　as　to　make　him　'sing。'　〃　They

carry　him　into　the　kitchen　and　〃put　his　feet　into　a　heated　brazier。〃

He　shouts　with　pain；　and　indicates　another　chest　which　they　break　open

and　then　carry　off　what　they　find　there；　〃seventy…two　francs　in　coin

and　five　or　six　thousand　livres　in　assignats；　which　Gibbon　had　just

received　for　the　requisitions　made　on　him　for　corn。〃　Next；　they　break

open　the　cellar　doors；　set　a　cask　of　vinegar　running；　carry　wine

upstairs；　eat　the　family　meal；　get　drunk　and；　at　last；　clear　out；

leaving　Gibbon　with　his　feet　burnt；　and　garroted；　as　well　as　the　other

eleven　members　of　his　household；　quite　certain　that　there　will　be　no

pursuit。＇160＇　…　In　the　towns；　especially　in　federalist　districts；

however；　these　robberies　are　complicated　with　other　assaults。　　At

Lyons；　whilst　the　regular　troops　are　lodged　in　barracks；　the

revolutionary　army　is　billeted　on　the　householders；　two　thousand　vile；

sanguinary　blackguards　from　Paris；　and　whom　their　general；　Ronsin

himself；　calls　〃scoundrels　and　brigands；〃　alleging；　in　excuse　for

this；　that　〃honest　folks　cannot　be　found　for　such　business。〃　How　they

treat　their　host；　his　wife　and　his　daughters　may　be　imagined；

contemporaries　glide　over　these　occurrences　and；　through　decency　or

disgust；　avoid　giving　details。＇161＇　Some　simply　use　brutal　force；

others　get　rid　of　a　troublesome　husband　by　the　guillotine；　in　the　most

exceptional　cases　they　bring　their　wenches　along　with　them；　while　the

housekeeper　has　to　arouse　herself　at　one　o'clock　at　night　and　light　a

fire　for　the　officer　who　comes　in　with　the　jolly　company。　　…　And　yet；

there　are　others　still　worse；　for　the　worst　attract　each　other。　　We

have　seen　the　revolutionary　committee　at　Nantes；　also　the

representative　on　mission　in　the　same　city；　nowhere　did　the

revolutionary　Sabbat　rage　so　furiously；　and　nowhere　was　there　such　a

traffic　in　human　lives。　　With　such　band…leaders　as　Carrier　and　his

tools　on　the　Committee；　one　may　be　sure　that　the　instrumentalists　will

be　worthy。



Accordingly；　several　members　of　the　Committee　themselves　oversee

executions　and　lend　a　hand　in　the　massacres。　　…　One　of　these；　Goullin；

a　creole　from　St。　　Domingo；　sensual　and　nervous；　accustomed　to

treating　a　Negro　as　an　animal　and　a　Frenchman　as　a　white　Negro；　a

Septembriseur　on　principle；　chief　instigator　and　director　of　the

〃drownings；〃　goes　in　person　to　empty　the　prison　of　Bouffay；　and；

verifying　that　death；　the　hospital　or　releases；　had　removed　the

imprisoned　for　him；　adds；　of　his　own　authority；　fifteen　names；　taken

haphazard；　to　reach　his　figures。　　…　Joly；　a　commissioner　on　the

Committee；　very　expert　in　the　art　of　garroting；　ties　the　hands　of

prisoners　together　two　and　two　and　conducts　them　to　the　river。＇162＇　…

Grand…maison；　another　member　of　the　Committee；　a　former　dancing…

master；　convicted　of　two　murders　and　pardoned　before　the　Revolution；

strikes　down　with　his　saber　the　imploring　hands　stretched　out　to　him

over　the　planks　of　the　lighter。＇163＇　…　Pinard；　another　Committee…

commissioner；　ransoms；　steals　off　into　the　country　and　himself　kills；

through　preference；　women　and　children。＇164＇　Naturally；　the　three

bands　which　operate　along　with　them；　or　under　their　orders；　comprise

only　men　of　their　species。　　In　the　first　one；　called　the　Marat

company；　each　of　the　sixty　members　swears；　on　joining　it；　to　adopt

Marat's　principles　and　carry　out　Marat's　doctrine。　　Goullin；＇165＇　one

of　the　founders；　demands　in　relation　to　each　member；　〃Isn't　there　some

one　still　more　rascally？　For　we　must　have　that　sort　to　bring　the

aristocrats　to　reason！〃＇166＇　　After　Frimaire　5　〃the　Maratists〃　boast

of　their　arms　being　〃tired　out〃　with　striking　prisoners　with　the　flat

of　their　sabers　to　make　them　march　to　the　Loire；＇167＇　and　we　see　that；

notwithstanding　this　fatigue；　the　business　suited　them；　as　their

officers　tried　to　influence　Carrier　to　be　detailed　on　the　〃drowning〃

service　and　because　it　was　lucrative。　　The　men　and　women　sentenced　to

death；　were　first　stripped　of　their　clothes　down　to　the　shirt；　and

even　the　shift；　it　would　be　a　pity　to　let　valuable　objects　go　to　the

bottom　with　their　owners；　and　therefore　the　drowners　divide　these

amongst　themselves；　a　wardrobe　in　the　house　of　the　adjutant　Richard　is

found　full　of　jewelry　and　watches。＇168＇　　This　company　of　sixty　must

have　made　handsome　profits　out　of　the　four　or　five　thousand　drowned。…

The　second　band；　called　〃the　American　Hussars；〃　and　who　operated　in

the　outskirts；　was　composed　of　blacks　and　mulattos；　numerous　enough　in

this　town　of　privateers。　　It　is　their　business　to　shoot　women；　whom

they　first　violate；　〃they　are　our　slaves；〃　they　say；　〃we　have　won　them

by　the　sweat　of　our　brows。〃　〃Those　who　have　the　misfortune　to　be

spared；　become　in　their　hands　mad　in　a　couple　of　days；　in　any　event

they　are　re…arrested　shortly　afterwards　and　shot。　　…　The　last　band；

which　is　styled　〃The　German　Legion；〃　is　formed　out　of　German　deserters

and　mercenaries　speaking　little　or　no　French。　　They　are　employed　by

the　Military　Commission　to　dispatch　the　Vendeans　picked　up　along　the

highways；　and　who　are　usually　shot　in　groups　of　twenty　five。　　〃I

came；〃　says　an　eye…witness；＇169＇　〃to　a　sort　of　gorge　where　there　was　a

semi…circular　quarry；　there；　I　noticed　the　corpses　of　seventy…five

women　naked　and　lying　on　their　backs。〃　The　victims　of　that　day

consisted　of　girls　from　sixteen　to　eighteen　years　of　age。　　One　of　them

says　to　her　conductor；　〃I　am　sure　you　are　taking　us　to　die；〃　and　the

German　replies　in　his　broken　jargon；　probably　with　a　coarse　laugh；〃

No；　it　is　for　a　change　of　air。　　　They　are　placed　in　a　row　in　front　of

the　bodies　of　the　previous　day　and　shot。　　Those　who　do　not　fall；　see

the　guns　reloaded；　these　are　again　shot　and　the　wounded　dispatched

with　the　butt　ends　of　the　muskets。　　Some　of　the　Germans　then　rifle　the

bodies；　while　others　strip　them　and　〃place　t